BCCI - negative press day

First topic message reminder :

Firstly they blocked Universal DRS even going to the vote stage despite all the other boards wanting it, the players wanting it, the ICC itself voting to have it in 2011, and the Executive Commitee noting the improvements in technology made it reliable
So who was at the Executive Board meeting that failed to vote on it? Well it was chaired by the head of the Indian National Congress party / ICCC President Sharad "Not Corrupt" Pawar, Alan " Offends noone" Isaac the former New Zealand Z team player (now head of being ignored at the ICC), Haroon "Actually Im a saffer definately not an Indian honestly" Lorgat who became ICC Cheif executive with absolutely no controversy at all and certainly isnt a Pawar lacky *cough cough*, and IS Bindra the ICCs chief advisor ("look guys just listen to what Pawar says"), one representative from each from the member boards and 3 associate reps.

And now Tony Greig has flipped out about them at the MCC "Spirit of Cricket" Lecture :

India is pre-occupied with money and T20 cricket and sees its IPL and Champions League as more important than a proper international calendar. To compound the problems, India has not only sold part of the game to private interests but some of her administrators are seen to have a conflict of interest, which makes it more difficult for it to act in the spirit of the game.

We can huff and puff as much as we like and have all sorts of external reports, but this situation can only be resolved by India accepting that the spirit of cricket is more important than generating billions of dollars; it's more important than turning out multi-millionaire players; and it's more important than getting square with Australia and England for their bully-boy tactics towards India over the years. It's ironic that the world, including India, rightly worships at the Nelson Mandela altar because of his conciliatory attitude but then India eschews his approach by indulging in a little pay back.

IS "Im an ICC not a BCCI Employee" Bindra's view on the subject:

Our cricketing losses Down Under and earlier in England have become an understandable cause of anguish, pain and disappointment for millions of avid Indian cricket fans. TV rights, player endorsements and the longer-term commercial prospects of the game too have taken a beating.
For weeks now former players and the armchair chair critics have been out in droves and the object of their combined fury is the IPL. The T20 format of the game is being blamed for making our players money hungry and ruining their focus and techniques.

It’s time, I believe, to stop looking for villains. The commercial success of IPL is undeniable and it has become an iconic sporting brand. It has brought a whole legion of new fans, especially women and younger Indians who were migrating to Formula One racing, football and American sports, back into the cricketing domain. IPL’s success is also evident in the clones it has fostered across the rest of the cricketing world. Here too fans continue to flock to stadiums and its commercial prospects remain impressive.

Reads as " yeah we lost some tests but dont worry we can still make a stink load of money out of T20 so suck it up Grieg"
Oooh politics.

In my format, 8 teams get automatic entry. 2 teams have to qualify. This qualifier would include BD,Zim and top 6 Associates.

Or whoever's 9th and 10th in the rankings presumably? You are still saying to a group of 95 countries (out of 105) that they can have at most 2 representatives. Despite the fact they've improved noticeably.

Mike Selig wrote:Or whoever's 9th and 10th in the rankings presumably? You are still saying to a group of 95 countries (out of 105) that they can have at most 2 representatives. Despite the fact they've improved noticeably.

Other than Ireland none of the associates have consistently shown an ability to put up a tough fight against the top sides. In fact Kenya, a side many thought would make it to the top level sooner rather than later has regressed big time. Afghanistan is showing promissing signs, and Holland has a few good players.
Mike's point is valid that the associates will have to get enough opportunities at the world stage to show their improvement, and a world cup has to be a World Cup.
During the first Champion's Trophy, I remember there was a qualifier for the last 2 ranked sides where Zimbabwe and New Zealand fought it out. The idea of a qualifier within the tournament might just be a good idea that the ICC can try to give the associates a fair chance.